Return to Askr: the First Dawn
by TheGoldenSun
Summary: A one-shot scenario where Alfonse and Sharena have been called back to Askr to perform their duties as royals. Homesickness sets in quickly.


**An idea that popped into my head thanks to a writing prompt. Uploading writing on a consistent basis is a learning process, and I learned the hard way that if you only write when you want to, then you'll write dozens of fics at first, then you taper into a slow trickle if you overdo it. However I'm doing my best to get stuff out at least several times a month.**

 **Now for fic-relevant thoughts, I've been playing Fire Emblem Heroes for a while, and it was the game that got me into Fire Emblem. This is a short oneshot and I doubt I will continue it considering the other works in progress I have on my plate. But enjoy regardless.**

Alfonse opened his eyes in the darkness. Another dreamless night. He rubbed his eyes and groaned as he sat upright. He pushed the uncomfortably soft covers off and stumbled to the window. Pulling aside the curtains, a cloudless night greeted him.

A sigh escaped his lips, and he turned to dress and start his day as a crown prince.

It had only been a year, perhaps two since he founded the Order of Heroes along with Sharena and Anna, but it felt like a lifetime. He had taken part in two major campaigns; he and his friends were war heroes. Even Nifl and Muspell were at a relative peace. He should have been happy he and his sister were recalled to the Askran Castle.

But he couldn't stop thinking about the Order of Heroes. It was more than a collection of mercenaries and legends from other worlds that would fight evil. It was a family. A family with its adorable little sisters, eccentric uncles, jovial cousins, and a brother-sister relationship that he knew little about, but felt disgust every time he thought about what it could entail.

Even the more deplorable in the Order began to show signs of reform. An evil dragon that possessed bodies in a plot to destroy mankind was now being a caretaker to the young of its kind. A portly senator was now a financial backer and funded education of the younger members in the name of art. A mad king that wanted to destroy mankind was now at peace among the dragons he cherished so much. A young man possessed by an evil dragon with aims to raise a cult of fanatical followers showed signs of the human beneath more and more. A royal of a distant land possessed by an evil dragon with aims to destroy mankind was...

 _Now that I think of it._ He thought as he clipped a royal pin to his jacket to finish dressing, _A lot of these villains have similar goals._

He stood in front of a mirror lit by candlelight, and looked himself over to make certain he was proper. Satisfied, he left his room and headed down the hall to Sharena's room. His formal boots clacked on the torchlit stone as he went, and he couldn't help but think about Fjorm.

He missed her to be sure, but he was more concerned about her promising to lead the Order along with Anna and the Summoner. He did not like the condition she was in when he left, and despite every healer he begged Fjorm to visit, they all said she was perfectly fine.

Even Fjorm told him that she was fine, but he knew better. When they talked, she would doze off. She felt colder than normal. And that cough... She tried to hide it but he would always notice.

"It's very sweet of you to be concerned about me." She would say whenever he brought up her condition. "But I'm fine. If something was wrong I would tell you, I promise."

He rapped lightly on Sharena's door and waited. After a minute without a response, he rapped again, a little harder.

Sharena didn't open the door until he rapped a third time. Alfonse's heart sank. His sister's cheeks were puffy and soaked, and her eyes looked like they had been shedding tears for a long time. Her lovely blonde hair was a mess, completely unbraided and ran down to her back in a tangled mess. He knew exactly why she was so sad, and a small part of him wanted to lecture her. He wanted to remind her that there was a reason he didn't get too attached to the Order. That her grief was her own doing.

But that was what the old Alfonse would say. The Alfonse that would rather study than make friends, and would rather sit on a bench and review legislation than socialize. The Order changed him. Despite his initial efforts Alfonse had to talk to his troops, fight along side them, eat with them, laugh with them. He learned their quirks, dreams, and goals. And he found the woman he loved as he fought to save her nation.

It gave him a newfound desire to lead. He wanted to rule one day not for a nebulous and vague goal like peace and prosperity. But for people like Nephenee, people like Priscilla. He wanted to rule an Askr that would allow for commoners and nobles alike to live their lives to the best of their ability.

So as his sister stood before him in the doorway, wearing a disheveled nightgown and a sorrowful gaze, he made his decision. He pulled her close and hugged her tightly. He held her for a few minutes as he felt her shaking in his arms. He felt moisture on his shoulder, but he ignored it. He patted her gently on the back and patiently waited for her quiet sobs to subside.

When she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, he pulled out a kerchief and gave it to her. She gratefully blew her nose and struggled to smile. "It's time for us to start the day? A bright new day?"

Alfonse shook his head, marveling at her stubborn desire to slip even hints of her usual brightness into the situation. "It's time for me to start the day. You can sleep a little longer. I only wanted to see how you were doing."

"I'm fine, now." She wiped her eyes again. "But... I miss them all so much."

"I miss them too. But our duties as royals come..." He stopped himself. His usual speech would fall on deaf ears. "Mother and Father, they missed us too. I'm sure they will be happy to see us."

"Father would..." She said softly. "I am not sure if Mother would take time off her-"

"Don't say that." Alfonse chided gently. "Mother loves you very much. She's just busy running the kingdom when Father's off fighting the main war. When he has finished mopping up the last of Surtr's forces he will come back and we'll be a family again."

Sharena didn't protest, but she didn't look convinced either.

"Sharena, when you were born our mother was overwhelmed with joy. She said that you were the most precious thing to her. That's why she buries herself in work. In her own way, she is showing you how much she loves you. Because she wants to create a kingdom where you can live happily."

"Really? You mean it?" Sharena asked, almost cheering up.

"Yes. And Once we have caught up, we will go back to our friends in the Order of Heroes." The lie burned Alfonse's heart, even as he tried to tell himself otherwise. "Now when you're ready, we can go see Mother together. I will be right outside waiting for you."

Sharena nodded and closed the door.

He hoped fervently that their mother would take the time to see them, even as he hoped he could one day return to Fjorm.


End file.
